The life of Austrian photographer Klaus Pichler changed dramatically when he chanced upon a UN report on how much food we waste globally.

He was so shocked by what he read that he dropped what he was doing, rushed to the local supermarket, bought food, and took it back to his flat in Vienna—where he made a point of not eating it.

Instead, Klaus Pichler photographed it as it decomposed, in his place, for weeks. Klaus had to deal with mould, fungus, stench and maggots to capture the images he was looking for.

The resulting collection One Third is both beautiful and politically repugnant. The name of the collection signifies how much food we waste globally every year. Underneath each photo Klaus notes food miles, carbon footprint, and water used.

Members of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), who authored the food waste report, were the first to see the collection in a special showing in Rome.

Right now, One Third is in Nairobi, with stops in Moscow, Vienna and California to follow. However, we've posted some choice examples here.

So next time we chuck out something grisly from the fruit bowl or vegetable crisper, maybe pause and think how it could have been used before heading to landfill.